Meat Success

Chop Local

Are you a farmer or butcher ready to master direct-to-consumer marketing and “Meat Success”? Then you're in the right place! From the team responsible for the ChopLocal meat marketplace, each episode of this podcast features interviews with farmers and butchers who have built successful direct-to-consumer meat businesses. And they’re going to share their secrets for success with you! From actionable tips to inspiring stories, this podcast has the ingredients you need to succeed in the meat business! After the show, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, follow us on social and check out the rest of our educational resources at ChopLocalUniversity.com.

  1. Jul 16

    Small Business Marketing Lessons from Main Street Shops

    48 | Today on the Meat Success Podcast, Katie Olthoff shares a quick solo story about visiting two small businesses after her kids’ dentist appointments and the marketing lessons it revealed. Her child noted that the craft shop was more expensive than Hobby Lobby but worth it because the owners were friendly and helpful—paralleling why customers buy meat directly from farmers and butchers despite higher prices. At the first shop, the owner verbally invited Katie to join a Square-based loyalty program by phone number, which immediately triggered texts showing points earned and prompting her to join the email list for bonus points. At a second treat shop using Square, a sign promoted loyalty but staff never asked, and Katie didn’t join despite being a repeat customer. Her takeaway: set up loyalty/text/email programs and verbally ask customers to join while explaining benefits. 00:27 Dentist Trip Backstory 01:03 Choosing Small Business 02:16 Yarn Shop Loyalty Win 03:13 Square Text and Email Flow 05:29 Why It Works 05:58 Treat Shop Missed Ask 07:30 Incentives and Lead Magnets And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

  2. Jul 9

    Farm to Inbox: Effective Email Marketing for Direct to Consumer Producers

    47 | This week, Katie and Sierra hop on a live webinar to share updates, including a new Chop Local website header and improved zip-code entry, and Sierra’s upcoming road trip to photograph and film vendors in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. The main training covers building email lists for farmers markets and farm stands using lead magnets such as recipe or cooking guides, coupons, swag, and customer-only giveaways, with guidance to keep signup forms minimal, use Mailchimp landing pages, deliver PDFs made in Canva, and promote signups via social media and urgency. They caution against adding past customer emails to Mailchimp without opt-in and suggest inviting customers via a one-time BCC email, plus enabling email opt-in on Shop Local checkout. For in-person collection, they recommend multiple QR-code signs and paper forms, and provide Canva QR-code template signage. They discuss connecting Square to Chop Local for synced inventory and share practical inventory management approaches, including leaving online inventory leeway and using paper-and-pen tracking. The group announces a North Central risk management grant offering webinars and four free coaching sessions, and launches a new Facebook group, “Farm to Consumer Meat Mastery,” for peer support. 00:32 Team Updates and Website Refresh 01:25 Sierra’s Vendor Road Trip Plans 03:49 Why Meeting Vendors Matters 04:24 Farmers Market Email Signups 04:48 Lead Magnets That Work 07:40 Giveaways and Targeting 11:10 Mailchimp Signup Pages Setup 14:18 Promoting Your List on Social 15:31 Inviting Past Customers Properly 19:46 In-Person Signup Best Practices 21:47 QR Codes and Canva Templates 24:29 Paper Forms and Booth Signage Tips 25:19 Cash and QR Options 26:36 Farmers Market Pickup Setup 27:52 Email Frequency Basics 28:14 Resend to Non Openers 29:59 Repurpose and Schedule Emails 31:42 Done For You Email Service 33:40 New Coaching Grant 37:08 Facebook Group Launch 39:08 Inventory Management Struggles 43:07 Paper Pen Tracking Tips 45:44 Freezer Reliability Talk And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

  3. Jul 2

    From Rural Roots to Online Success with Schultz Country Market

    46 | On the Meat Success Podcast, guest host Sierra Long, talks with Nola and Mikaela Schultz of Schultz Country Market, a family farm-to-direct meat business in Illinois, about growing their brick-and-mortar store and social media presence. They describe researching Illinois requirements for retail meat sales, opening their on-farm market in September 2023, expanding through a freezer trailer and a busy local farmers market, and starting nationwide shipping in February 2026 after extensive testing of supplies and packaging (favoring ice blankets over dry ice). They explain how TikTok giveaways and support from a local influencer helped grow to nearly 50,000 followers, and how they use Facebook for local customers and TikTok to drive shipping sales. They emphasize consistency, authenticity, quick Facebook Lives, and being intentional with messaging to convert views into sales. 00:53 Schultz Market Origins03:14 Launching Retail Store07:11 Farmers Market Strategy10:26 Farm Store Experience13:22 Shipping Meat Logistics18:55 TikTok Growth Giveaway22:05 Influencer Events Boost24:32 Family Farm Story25:06 Influencer Event Boost26:32 Getting Comfortable On Camera30:11 Facebook Live Routine32:21 Choosing Platforms37:48 Turning Views Into Sales39:26 Content Ideas That Convert Learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

  4. Jun 18

    Navigating E-Commerce & Local Delivery for Direct to Consumer Farmers and Ranchers

    Today on the Meat Success Podcast Katie Olthoff, Co-Founder of ChopLocal/ChopLocal University) interviews Mackenzie Wright of Kentucky’s Jones Brothers Farm about their delivery-first model, product mix, and why they use Shopify. Mackenzie shares the farm’s history since 2010, emphasizing diversification (beef, tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelons, hay, tobacco; formerly hemp) and transparent education around being a conventional farm. The farm transitioned from selling beef by quarters/halves to beef boxes and single cuts, learning which cuts move best for their largely female, urban customer base, and building sales from an established produce email list. They sell mainly via home delivery (one local farmers market) and are exploring wholesale expansion; they do not ship. Shopify was chosen for integrated payments, apps (routing, pickup options), email via Seguno, improved website design, analytics tools including an AI query feature, subscription/advance-date ordering, and adding a checkout processing fee, with a focus on customer service and storytelling to build trust. 01:35 Jones Brothers Farm Story02:41 Diverse Crops and Beef Practices04:43 From Shares to Single Cuts06:53 Delivery Model and Cut Demand08:39 Know Your Customer Base10:27 Produce CSA to Add Ons12:12 Tomato Sizes and Sales13:03 Farmers Markets Strategy14:55 Wholesale Expansion and Shipping16:55 Why They Chose Shopify19:49 Shopify Apps for Routing21:46 Do You Really Need an App24:08 Subscriptions and Preorders25:20 CSA vs Subscription26:53 Skipping Weeks Flexibly28:27 Hemp Loss Ends CSA31:06 Email and Seguno34:48 Shopify Design Wins37:55 Analytics AI Helper39:38 Processing Fee Strategy42:24 Selling Trust Story44:04 Farm Content Without Shock46:44 COVID Delivery Shift Wrap And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

  5. Jun 4

    The Evolving Landscape of Small Meat Processing with Rebecca Thistlethwaite

    Episode 44 | This week, Katie Olthoff sits down with Rebecca Thistlethwaite of the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN), a national Oregon State University–housed extension community serving small/very small processors and direct-market producers with free membership, webinars, and no-cost technical assistance. They discuss how, since 2020’s extreme backlog, many plants now face low utilization—especially in beef—due to a smaller cattle herd, pushing processors to market for business via basic websites, online cut-sheet forms, and testimonials. She emphasizes building long-term producer–processor partnerships, transparent yield data to reduce disputes, and feedback on carcass finish; USDA remote grading is growing mainly for larger “small” plants and retail channels. Key processor challenges include rising production costs (utilities, disposal, packaging), labor, and inconsistent volume; solutions discussed include energy upgrades, composting/digesters, labor-saving equipment, and diversification through retail counters, consignment freezers, wholesale, and value-added products. They note MPEP grant interest and a modest increase in independent poultry processing, and Rebecca highlights untapped innovation potential in U.S. pork marketing. And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/ Chapters 00:28 Pandemic Processing Crunch01:32 What NMPAN Does02:33 Top NMPAN Resources04:42 Utilization Drops and Marketing08:09 Websites and Online Cut Sheets11:39 Building Producer Processor Trust15:12 Yield Data and Transparency19:15 Remote Grading and Quality23:04 Today’s Biggest Processor Challenges25:35 Energy Waste and Labor Solutions28:30 Disposal Options Incinerators Digesters30:28 Carcass Waste Solutions32:22 Retail Counters Boost Margins34:11 Meat Vending Machines35:12 Freezer Consignment Deals37:48 Wholesale Routes and Risks41:16 Value Added Sausage Strategy42:52 Restaurant Sales Reality44:20 MPEP Grant Breakdown48:55 Inspected Poultry Trends51:55 Pork Innovation Opportunity

  6. May 21

    Artificial Intelligence in the Field: Exploring Innovation and Ethics with Professor Chad Fiechter

    Episode 43 | Today, Katie Olthoff of the Meat Success Podcast interviews Purdue agricultural economics, professor Chad Fiechter about practical, responsible use of generative AI in agriculture and small businesses. Fiechter describes adoption ranging from “Google Plus” style queries to farmers building custom web apps, and emphasizes using AI as an iterative thought partner rather than an answer machine. They discuss risks of sharing sensitive data, the importance of reading platform terms, and how paid/organizational accounts can limit model training via privacy settings. To guard against hallucinations, Fiechter recommends requesting sources, verifying with multiple external references, and matching skepticism to the stakes. He encourages transparency about AI use, owning outputs as the author, using adversarial prompts and cross-checking with other models, and providing strong context/examples to improve results, especially for marketing and management tasks. Connect with Chad here: https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/home/team/chad-fiechter/ 01:17 Chad’s Journey from the farm to Purdue03:19 How Farms Use AI Today05:05 Building Custom AI Tools10:44 Iterating Like a Pro12:50 Data Privacy and Paid Plans16:48 Hallucinations and Verification23:18 Owning AI Output29:14 Adversarial Prompts and Model Battles37:21 AI as Small Business Coach41:24 Give AI Better Context And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

  7. May 14

    How to Unlock Grant Funding with Stephen Ussery: From MPEP to LAMP Grants

    Episode 42 | Katie Olthoff hosts Stephen Ussary of Stewards Unlimited to discuss current USDA grant opportunities. They explain the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPEP) Phase 4, focused mainly on equipment (and limited renovations) for processors that slaughter beef, with eligibility for small/very small and some larger “intermediate” processors, required matches (25% equipment-only; 50% expansion), and an August 7 deadline; awards are limited and likely competitive, with scoring tied to goals like increased capacity, producer income (including toll processing), new markets, safety/training, and waste management, plus letters of support including from government officials. They also review LAMP programs due June 5—FMPP, LFPP, and RFSP—emphasizing partnerships, marketing impacts, and competitiveness, noting processors may be eligible but rarely funded recently. They mention other opportunities (state programs, Farm to School, SARE, Value Added Producer Grants) and Stewards Unlimited’s free grant alerts. Join here: https://stewardsunlimited.com/ 01:15 Grant Journey Lessons02:19 MPEP Overview and Eligibility04:45 Funding Tracks and Competitiveness07:41 Scoring Rubric and Priorities14:19 Reapplying and Inspection Rules17:18 Match and Application Strategy20:33 Future of MPEP and Farm Bill21:38 LAMP Programs Overview23:03 RFSP Partnerships Explained30:52 Weigh Your Options33:58 Should You Apply This Year39:59 Other Grants and Alerts42:00 Grant Deadlines And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

  8. Apr 30

    How to Turn Farmers Market Customers into Year-Round Customers

    Episode 41 | In the final spring-season CHOP Local University webinar, Katie explains how farmers market vendors can use an online store to increase sales through pre-orders for market pickup and year-round ordering, citing survey data showing only 9% of direct-to-consumer meat farmers have online stores but 71% of farms selling over $200,000 do, and that average sales are $140,000 with e-commerce vs. $81,000 without. She outlines actions before, during, and after market season: optimize store usability (fast loading, easy product discovery, sell by package/weight ranges rather than exact weight, and answer common customer questions), create signage/QR codes, collect emails using lead magnets, and train customers to pre-order with incentives and scarcity. After season, she recommends frequent short emails with clear calls to action, scheduled pickup “meetups,” and holiday gift bundles, and describes Chop Local’s marketplace, vendor tools, shipping requirement, and support options. Ready to elevate your brand and business? Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/ 00:29 What Is Chop Local 01:57 Meet Katie Olthoff 02:50 Survey Data Insights 04:23 Online Store Advantage 06:13 Candace Success Story 07:36 Three Phase Strategy 08:41 Optimize Store Basics 09:42 Sell By Package 12:19 Answer Customer Questions 13:16 Signs and QR Codes 15:02 Collect Emails at Market 16:55 Lead Magnet Explained 18:37 Coupon Funnel Q&A 21:18 QR Signup Best Practices 23:09 Push Preorders Online 24:07 Scarcity With Preorders 26:08 Email Cadence Made Simple 29:08 Calls To Action That Convert 31:00 Offseason Pickup Meetups 32:56 Holiday Gift Box Push 35:41 Quick Strategy Recap 38:34 Next Steps And Offers 44:01 Tools Q&A And Wrap

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About

Are you a farmer or butcher ready to master direct-to-consumer marketing and “Meat Success”? Then you're in the right place! From the team responsible for the ChopLocal meat marketplace, each episode of this podcast features interviews with farmers and butchers who have built successful direct-to-consumer meat businesses. And they’re going to share their secrets for success with you! From actionable tips to inspiring stories, this podcast has the ingredients you need to succeed in the meat business! After the show, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, follow us on social and check out the rest of our educational resources at ChopLocalUniversity.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Chop Local
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Chop Local
  • Show Website
    Meat Success

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